An Inter-Jurisdictional Watershed Management Approach — The Gwynns Falls Water Quality Management Plan

In October 2002, Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland signed a historic Watershed Agreement that unified the City and County efforts to protect watersheds that are located in both jurisdictions. The agreement calls for establishing common goals for managing the natural resources of shared watersheds; improved coordination of resource management strategies and restoration programs; joint meetings with citizen-based watershed associations and annual "state of our watersheds" reports. One of the first projects that resulted from this historical agreement was the Gwynns Falls Water Quality Management Plan. The Gwynns Falls watershed begins in western Baltimore County and drains into Baltimore City. The headwaters are located in rural/suburban Glyndon, Maryland and the stream drains to the tidal area of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River in downtown Baltimore. The Patapsco Middle Branch is in the western part of the Baltimore Harbor and ultimately drains into the Chesapeake Bay. Approximately two thirds of the watershed lies within Baltimore County and one third lies within Baltimore City. The Water Quality Management Plan was used for partial fulfillment of the federally mandated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (NPDES) and to provide a watershed restoration framework for both jurisdictions. The Parsons Brinckerhoff team has prepared the plan and its goals include: (1) Identify and evaluate non-point source stormwater pollution of the 171 square kilometers (66 square miles) watershed and assess over 214 kilometers (133 miles) of stream, (2) determine management and restoration measures for the reduction of non-point source pollution and reestablishment of stream stability, and (3) provide a watershed restoration framework and planning tool for capital project for both jurisdictions. Plan components include: Watershed characterization, stream assessment, GIS database, forest assessment, stormwater management facility and outfall assessment, SWMM modeling and watershed evaluation and project recommendations.